Attack on Titan: Outsiders
by DJ Mcloud
Summary: A mysterious intruder from outside the walls assaults a small town, leading to the discovery of a girl who has no memory of the titans or walls. Those around them try to find the truth and try to stop tragedy from unfolding before it's too late.
1. Outsiders

**AN: This is my first attempt at Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin fanfiction and I haven't read the manga so while this is a fully OC tale, if I step on any canon toes as far as the world building goes I apologize**

* * *

Looking over the outside of Wall Rose, Garrison Regiment Officer Jorgen Alberht couldn't shake the feeling of unease washing over him. "I swear I heard something out there…" He turned to his fellow stationary guard on night watch with him.

The other man looked out into the blackness, dim starlight the only thing giving the shadows of buildings and trees that used to be part of human civilization any form. "Come on man, titans aren't exactly stealthy. If there was something moving around out there we'd have heard it by now. Unless it's a… GHOST TITAN!" He made waving gestures at Jorgen with several 'ooooh' and 'ahhh' noises.

"Knock it off! And it didn't sound anything like that. It was almost like… maneuvering gear being used." Jorgen pondered.

"Nonsense, ODM gear use hasn't been authorized inside the walls here yet. And there aren't any scout missions outside the walls right now either. It's not even one of the outlier cities, we're just here as a precaution. Trust me, there's nothing human outside those walls."

Jorgen gave a sigh and nodded. "I suppose I'm just shaky, too on edge after too long of nothing happening."

"Relax, once the night shift is done we'll go and have a drink." He patted Jorgen on the back and laughed softly, earning a small smile from the tall black-haired man.

"No way, you're a mean drunk, not after last ti-"

He was cut off by a loud sound nearby, a familiar sound, similar to a gunshot but not nearly as loud, gas being released at high pressure. It was maneuvering gear after all. Just as he had registered the sound, a harpooned cable stuck itself into his partner's leg, dragging him backwards and his assailant forward. In an instant the blade pierced the man's neck and blood splattered against Jorgen's face.

The assailant stood over the man's corpse, wiping off his sword as the black cloak concealing him in the night fell away. "If you're looking for elephants, it's quite easy for a mouse to slip by unnoticed." An icy gaze pierced Jorgen to his core. It took him a few moments to even get a grip on the person… if it was a person, he was looking at. It didn't look like any man he'd ever seen before.

His skin was a sickly gray, his hair black, greasy and patchy, his limbs thin, boney and long, filled with lean muscle. His eyes were sunken in, bloodshot and a piercing green. Fingernails that clutched at the sword long and unkempt. That was when his eyes were drawn to the sword, not the paring blades used for rending titan flesh by soldiers, but a pointed piece with thin edges. That was a weapon for killing humans. This man looked like a walking gray skeleton that looked completely at home bathed in blood as he was now. "Your friend was right… there is absolutely nothing human outside these walls."

Once Jorgen managed to overcome his shock and steady his hands, he reached for his blade only to have the man's pointed sword slash at the back of his hand, drawing blood. He could've easily taken the hand with that slash, it was a warning. "Don't do that again or you won't get out of here with all your bits attached. Or I could just kick you over the wall right now."

"W-What do you want…?" Jorgen muttered out, trying to stay strong and mask his fear. He was a Garrison soldier on a non-outlier city, he'd been through his paces but he could count the number of truly hairy experiences on one hand, a hand that he would rather like to keep.

"I want to deliver a message. It only takes one person to deliver a message so I of course eliminated the spare." He nodded to Jorgen's comrade. "Tell whoever's in charge that my name is Franz Ivo. And I have come to take vengeance on what's left of humanity inside these walls. The land within these walls is my birthright."

Jorgen slowly backed up, looking over the wall from where the man had emerged, spotting a crack from where his harpoon cable grappling hook had sunk into it. He'd scaled the wall from the outside! "A-Are you a survivor from when Wall Maria was taken?" It had been years, it was hard to believe that someone left behind from the evacuation would've survived all that time.

"No… I am from outside the walls."

"OUTSIDE!? That's impossible!" Jorgen shouted.

Franz gave him an icy glare. "Don't you have a message to be delivering? Shoddy couriers get their pay docked. And considering I'm paying you with your life, I don't think you want that."

Jorgen grunted, backing him again before quickly heading down the wall to alert his superiors.

A thin smirk crossed Franz's face as he looked down upon civilization inside the walls. "Shiver with fear you rotten cows. I have come to purge you."

* * *

Dr. Ivan Swift briskly walked down the halls of the military clinic, looking over the files he had been given. "I wonder if the situation is really as you describe it, lieutenant." The white-haired doctor adjusted his glasses and shot a glance to the officer on his right. "It seems too implausible…"

"It's just like I said doctor." The officer nodded. The intruder came over the walls last night, and as if that wasn't bad enough, when Jorgen gave us the message and we gave chase to the attacker, he ducked into a plaza of abandoned buildings, where our men tripped over this girl and… well it's best you see her condition for yourself…"

The doctor opened the door, spotting a woman in her early twenties with blonde hair that went past her shoulders and large, clueless blue eyes. Yes, this was definitely her. "Hello Miss, I am Doctor Swift and I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's alright."

"That's fine." The woman brightly smiled and nodded.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"My name is Samantha Kunibert."

"Good, and could you tell me the year and where you are?"

"Of course, the year is 770 and… uhh… I'm not sure where I am at the moment, I'm sorry." Samatha frowned.

Ivan looked up at the lieutenant who nodded softly in affirmation. "I'm sorry but that is incorrect. The year is 848 and you are currently in the city of Altenburg behind Wall Rose."

"Wall… Rose…?" Samantha tilted her head curiously.

The doctor pushed his chair out from the table with a friendly smile. "I'm sorry to confuse you Ms. Kunibert, we'll get this all cleared up, I promise. Please allow me to have a few words with my friend here." He motioned to the lieutenant and walked out of the room. "It's just like in the report after all."

"Yeah, she's either a time traveler or in deep denial… she has absolutely no memory of the walls or the titans and firmly believes we are living in the time before the titans appeared." The lieutenant nodded.

Ivan stroked his chin. "A man from outside the walls led to the discovery of a woman that has no memory of them… It's almost as if we're being guided by fate."

"Do you believe they're connected doctor? She's probably just a nut… but it's still eerie."

"I wouldn't call her a nut lieutenant, but it is quite the coincidence. I'm going to have to ask that you keep her exclusively in my custody for the time being…"

"Protocol says we have to keep her here for forty-eight hours to see if any family comes looking for her. After that she's all yours doctor. I can't imagine anyone better suited to deal with her than you."

Ivan nodded with a troubled look. "Let's hope so lieutenant… I'll get to the bottom of this…"

* * *

A few hours later Ivan sat down with Samantha again for another interview, bringing her some bread to eat while they talked. "Tell me Samantha, what is it you do for a living?"

"I'm a fruit merchant." The woman grinned as she took a bite of the bread happily, it felt like it had been forever since she'd eaten. She then looked at the doctor curiously. "…what do you do?"

"I'm a doctor." Ivan smiled.

"So you… cure sick people and bandage up cuts and stuff?" She mumbled over another bite.

"Well I do have some limited medical training. But I specialize in things wrong with people's minds." He tapped his head. "I mainly work with post-traumatic stress, soldiers that have seen too much combat and can't cope and such things."

"Soldiers? Is there a war going on? My village has been rather peaceful for years…"Samantha put down the bread, looking worried. "I hope it's not spreading…"

"It's a war of sorts, against the titans…" The doctor muttered.

"Titans?"

The doctor gasped, realizing he misspoke, not expecting her to hear him. "…never mind all that. It's not important right now. Do you know anything of a man named Franz Ivo? He's a criminal that took refuge in the area you were found in last night. We're looking for him currently but we've no leads so any information at all would be quite helpful."

"I don't know anyone by that name doctor, I'm sorry…" Samantha shook her head, still troubled by his words.

"It's alright, let's just focus for now on getting you comfortable and back where you belong, alright? We'll be keeping you here for now and if no one comes for you within a day or two you'll be staying with me, is that okay?" He propped his chin up on his hands with a smile.

"Ummm… I suppose so. But doctor, why must I be held here at all? I can take care of myself…"

Ivan blinked, he couldn't just tell her everything she knew was a lie and that had to make sure she wouldn't break down or freak out or anything if they released her. "I-It's because we're worried that that criminal may be around where you were staying and we want to keep you here to keep you safe just in case you remember anything…" He whipped up a quick lie.

"I see…" She didn't seem entirely convinced but she didn't fight it either. "Alright then…"

"Good. Now try and get a bit of rest, if you remember anything come to me." He stood up, lifting Samantha's chin and looking deep into her eyes. "Come to me. And. Only. To. Me. Do you understand? We don't want any classified information getting out, okay?"

Samantha nodded hesitantly as the doctor walked out, heading back to the small room that had been prepared for her out of the temporary medical room. She laid down on her bed and sighed, looking out the window. It was nearly sunset by now. She shot up when she heard the door open.

"Oh, sorry. This is the medical room, right?" A tall black-haired man rubbed the back of his neck as he entered. "I just needed to change my bandage." He pointed to a cut on the back of his hand. "Name's Jorgen Alberht. You the girl everyone's been talking about?" He asked.

"I-I guess so…" Samantha nodded softly.

"So what have they told you?" Jorgen sat down at the medical desk, rummaging around for bandages.

"They haven't told me much of anything at all… I get the feeling something's wrong…" The woman huffed and looked down. "I hate it when people aren't straight with me…"

"I get that…" Jorgen nodded, finding the bandages. "After what happened last night I'd give anything to do something that matters for once, it sucks sitting around left in the dark. I guess I didn't realize until now, but that's what I've been doing most of my life."

Samantha looked at the bandages and nodded to them. "Can I help you with that?" Jorgen nodded and unwrapped his hand, showing the fresh gash on the back of it. "It's nice to be able to help with something…" She sighed as she grabbed the antibiotics and swapped the wound, earning a hiss from the Garrison soldier.

"What exactly do you remember?" He grunted, trying to take his mind off the wound being cleaned.

"I remember I am Samantha Kunibert, fruit merchant and that the year is 770 and… not much else." She hung her head as she began wrapping the bandages around his hand.

"Not your age, birthday, favorite color, anything?" Jorgen's eyes softened.

"I remember brief snippets from my village… it was a peaceful place… but it doesn't seem to match what people say to me at all. I don't remember anything about titans or walls or anything… I feel so helpless."

Jorgen gazed at the woman for a long moment, his eyes slowly solidifying in resolve before nodding at her. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" She gasped as he stood up.

"You deserve to know the truth, and to see it with your own eyes."

* * *

"Lieutenant, where is my patient?" Doctor Swift asked the officer, a steely cold gaze observing the area.

"Oh, Jorgen Alberht took her out for some fresh air. Said he wasn't going far so I allowed it."

"He what!?" The doctor's glasses slid down his nose, his eye twitching with anger. He clenched his fist before slamming it against the wall behind him. "You fucking IDIOTS!" He quickly ran out of the building and down the streets.

* * *

"This… this is what the world looks like now…?" Samatha's eyes widened in shock as she looked over the top of Wall Rose. Jorgen had taken her to his post, to the sight he saw every day. Destroyed towns, broken trees, and in the far distance the breached Wall Maria stood across the horizon. The blonde stared down at the giant, naked humanoid figures, bathed in the orange sunset light.

"These are titans." Jorgen said with a somber tone. Approximately one hundred years ago they appeared and drove the remnants of humanity behind these walls. A few years ago Wall Maria was breached and we were forced to fall back here behind Wall Rose. They are killing machines with a taste for human flesh and almost invincible, these walls are all that stand between us and them."

Samantha was silent for a few minutes, staring out on the sight and taking in this new revelation. Jorgen was frightened for a moment about how she'd take it, until eventually she spoke.

"That wall, Wall Maria. Is there any way we can get it back?"

A smirk crossed Jorgen's face. "The first time you see a titan, your mind instantly goes to fighting them instead of pissing yourself? You might make a decent soldier some day Sam." His somber tone then returned. "We've never taken back any territory overrun with Titans before, but I suppose nothing's impossible the future's not written in stone."

"It's natural isn't it? To want to take back what's been taken from you? Like my memories…" Sam's face sunk.

Jorgen shook his head and patted her on the shoulder. "Come on, I think that's enough for today. It's getting dark, we better get back before the doctor throws a fit that I kept you out this long." He chuckled, looking up at the increasingly dark sky as clouds began to gather while night fell "Looks like rain too."

They headed down and began to walk through the streets just as a light drizzle began to fall. Suddenly they started to notice Garrison soldiers rushing back and forth. Jorgen stopped one of his friends and looked at him. "What's going on?"

"That man from last night, Franz Ivo. He's been sited in the area. Reports say he may be wearing a military hooded cloak to avoid being detected on sight. We should get any civilians out of here and try to apprehend him as soon as possible."

Jorgen nodded and took Samantha's wrist. "Stay close to me Sam, we're getting you out of here and keeping our eyes out for anyone else who needs our help." He ducked into an alleyway as it began to rain harder. The two pairs of feet splashed in the puddles along the stone streets as they rushed to clear the area.

As if on cue, a figure in a green hooded cloak belonging to the military descended with a slight 'ziiiip' sound from their maneuvering gear before their boots touched the ground.

Jorgen gasped and pushed Samantha back. "Stay back Sam!" He drew his swords. "I won't run from you this time!" He shouted down the alleyway at the figure, who silently drew his sword as well.

Jorgen rushed at his target, swinging his swords only for the rogue man to duck under the crossed blades, sneaking his own under and between them and stabbing it up through his gut and through his chest. "Now die." He whispered, the killer pulling his sword out as Jorgen fell to his knees and then to his face into a puddle.

Samantha screamed as she watched the scene unfold, drawing the attention of several Garrison soldiers who rushed over as she ran over to Jorgen, holding his body as his blood mixed with the water. "No…" She sobbed quietly as the killer shot his grappling hooks to the rooftops and climbed away, not wanting to get caught by the oncoming troops.

"Don't die…" Samantha clutched Jorgen's body, tears streaming from her eyes as they filled with realization. She understood now, this was how all those people who had talker to her saw the world now. This is what they were hiding from her.

A world where death was everywhere.


	2. Franz Ivo

Doctor Swift walked up to Samantha and draped a cloak around her with a sigh, arriving late on the scene. "I'm sorry you had to see that…" The excitement from before had calmed down, Garrison soldiers were still on alert and pacing about but now they were planning their next move instead of going on the defensive. "He's killed several people today already, mostly soldiers. I promise you we'll do our best to stop that man."

Sam choked back a sob. "Yeah… this can't go on." She glanced at the men carrying Jorgen's body away.

The doctor eyed her gently and sat beside her. "Is this the first time you've seen someone die?"

"I… I don't know… I think so…" The girl struggled with her thoughts, still not able to remember much besides her home, specific instances weren't coming to her, mostly just the setting. "Have you seen someone die before doctor?"

"It doesn't get easier. It's harder when it's someone close. At least this time it was a practical stranger. I mean you only knew him a few hours at best…"

Sam pulled away and glared at the doctor. "SO!? I'm not supposed to be upset because I didn't know him for long!? He's still a human being with thoughts and feelings and if you're not going to cry for him, someone has to!"

The doctor's eyes softened gently. "I'm sorry, that must've sounded crass of me. It's this world we live in, people, especially soldiers die all the time, you sort of get desensitized to it. It still hurts but becomes more casual. Sometimes I wonder… after experiencing everything we have, even if the titans disappeared tomorrow, would we still be able to go back to how humanity was a hundred years ago?"

The woman looked down pensively. Everything she'd known up to this point was a lie, she was the epitome of the humanity of the past and even one day in this world had already changed her. "I don't think so…"

"Neither do I." The doctor leaned up, looking up as the gloomy sky slowly stopped raining. "Sadly I think we're too far gone. However, nothing's impossible. I've worked with the human mind my whole life. You'd be surprised the transformations a person can make."

A scream drew their attention as a shower of blood splattered against the building next to them. "Since all you rotten cows are gathered in one place, I thought it was time to begin the slaughter…" Franz stood, swinging the blood off his sword as a garrison soldier crumpled at his feet.

Swords were drawn immediately as three Garrison soldiers stood around the gray skeleton-like man. "You idiot! Returning to the scene of the crime with such bluster! We'll cut you down right here!" One of them shouted as Doctor Swift got between Sam and Franz, pushing her back. "Doctor! Get the civilian to safety!"

"There's no crime in slaughtering rotten cattle that can't appreciate their grazing pen." Franz smirked, with a flick of his wrist he pulled out a small metal object from his cloak and shot it into the crowd of soldiers.

A bright light filled the area, blinding two of the unprepared soldiers temporarily and striking the third in the face, searing the right side of his head and causing him to fall to the ground in agony. "He stole a flare gun from the man he just killed before we could even see it! Get back Sam!" Doctor Swift roared as he spread both arms, ready to protect the girl as Franz swept the leg of one of the remaining soldiers and cut the throat of the other in one smooth motion. "You won't get past me so easily!" The doctor shouted as he held out his swords, swinging them at the man.

Franz's blade deflected the other man's but with a few more strikes the dual swords had the outsider on the defensive. "Finally, someone with a brain. I think spending all your time on the walls has affected the Garrison's ability to fight humans."

"Your luck has run out, you monster! Your traps will only last you so long!" The white-haired man called out as he once again locked blades with the other man, shooting a harpoon cable from his gear into the building behind him and dragging them both towards it, pressing Franz's back against the wall as his blades closed in dangerously near to his throat.

Franz ducked under the swords, shooting his own cable at the building across the way and flinging himself up to the roof top to escape the doctor. Swift wasn't going to end his pursuit so easily and quickly gave chase with his own maneuvering gear. The sword fight continued on the rooftops, Franz swinging his pointed sword to deflect Swift's twin titan-killing blades. "I'm afraid your luck is the one that's run out doctor. You and everyone else in these godforsaken walls. The free ride's over." The gray man's sunken eyes narrowed as he fired his cable into a chimney behind the doctor. As it retracted he swung his sword.

Swift easily blocked the glancing blow but it knocked him off balance. "Damnit, what's he planning…" Ivan groaned as he struggled to compose himself as he turned to face the attacker that just passed him by.

Franz grinned, swinging wide, going around the chimney and swinging back, launching his leg forward and kicking the doctor square in the chest.

With all the momentum from the swing the force of the kick hit Swift hard and knocked him off the rooftop. He quickly fired his gear's cables to catch himself but he only ended up slowing his fall before skidding into a hard roll along the stone streets, flopping onto his back with a groan.

Franz retracted his cable and hopped down, standing over the doctor and preparing to impale him with his sword. "Farewell, doctor."

"STOP!" Sam cried from down the street, tears in her eyes as she ran forward. "Please… don't kill anyone else…"

Franz looked confused at the girl as several Garrison troops ran towards the commotion and focused their firearms on the intruder. His sickly eyes lingered on the woman standing before him as he sheathed his sword. "Fine… I won't kill him."

The guards seemed just as confused as Sam at the man's apparent surrender. "Really? …that was easier than I thought." She blinked.

"But I'm taking you with me." Franz smirked, firing his maunevering gear cables on either side of Sam, trapping her in place as he quickly retracted them and moved forward, ramming into her and hefting her over his shoulder as he began to swing from building to building and sped away.

"Stop! Get him!" The Garrison troops fired their rifles into the air but they didn't have the range nor the expertise with non-titan related artillery to hit Franz from this range, especially not without endangering the girl. "He's heading into a more populated area, we won't be able to use our rifles there without endangering the people! Spread out and look for him!"

"Let go of me!" Sam struggled and kicked at the man's torso as they swung from the buildings. The extra weight forced them to keep low to the ground but with lots of quick turns and crafty swinging they were soon lost above a maze of buildings.

"Shut up and stop struggling or I'll drop you off a building." Franz said matter-of-factly.

A few minutes later Franz swung into the open window of a building he made sure was deserted. He dropped Sam to the floor with a sigh. "You're a troublesome hostage… But we should be able to lay low here for a while until they pass."

"Why are you doing this!?" Sam shouted, standing up with a wince.

"You're the girl aren't you? I heard some people talking about a woman who thinks it's almost a century ago before the walls went up. That's the reason you were with the military, and that would explain the look in your eyes." He grumbled, locking the windows and doors and sitting down in a chair that was the only piece of furniture in the room aside from a basic table.

"Yeah… that's me…" Sam lowered her eyes to the floor. "Is that why you kidnapped me?"

"I kidnapped you for several reasons. That is one of them, another being you were an expedient hostage to get out of a tight situation. The last reason is because… you remind me of my mother." Franz admitted.

"Y-Your mother…?" Sam backed up against the wall, afraid of what the implications of that connection might bring.

"That look in your eyes, they look big and innocent, but somewhere deep down, somewhere you may not even realize you're showing, there's a hardened soldier. You've seen some shit. And I think your story about who you are is full of shit too."

"You… you're wrong! I'm no soldier…" Sam tried to sound confident in this but she was so unsure of everything lately.

Franz stood moved closer, kneeling down until his thin face was inches from hers, staring her directly in the eyes, dim gray meeting deep blue. "Then explain these…!" With a swift motion he ripped the buttons open on her shirt. She quickly covered her chest but the shirt sunk down enough to expose her shoulders, collarbones and part of her back.

Sam's eyes wandered down and widened as she spotted thin white lines littered across her chest in random areas. "S-Scars!?" They looked as if they'd healed significantly over time but there were still a good half dozen across the area of her torso that was exposed. "But… that's impossible… I've never been in any battles…" She was in shocked dismay, feeling like a stranger in her own body. She hadn't changed clothes since she'd been brought in by the military but she didn't remember having scars yesterday! Horror washed over her as she felt so strange having scars and not remembering how she got them.

"Just as I thought, you're full of shit after all." Franz went back over to the chair and sat down, letting Sam button her shirt back up. "Still, it's quite ironic that we're in the same room. A man from outside the walls and a woman who's pretending they don't exist."

Sam's shocked eyes were drawn away from herself and towards the man. "You're from outside!? But those things are out there…"

"Have you looked at me?" He gestured to his discolored skin, bony frame and unkempt articles. "I didn't get this way by living in the lap of civilization."

"I… I guess…" Sam looked down, not quite sure how to address what happened to him.

Franz threaded his bony fingers under his nose and looked over at Sam with a sigh. "My mother, Margaret Ivo, was a soldier. A scout regiment officer, her survival alone was testament to her skill and she was well respected among the other soldiers. However, eventually she became a problem that some people wanted taken care of. She'd apparently been spreading rumors, vehemently convinced of something that troubled the higher ups and common people alike. And once my mother was convinced of something there was no way to silence her."

"W…What kind of rumor was she spreading?" Sam asked with wide eyes.

"That titans live among us." He said simply, shocking the woman. It all sounded so impossible to her and Franz didn't seem convinced either. "I'm not sure what it was, but something in her travels led her to believe that titans and humans were connected somehow maybe even humans could become titans or vice versa. I don't know if there's any truth to this and honestly I don't care. It has nothing to do with me and only influenced what happened next."

He leaned back in his seat, relaxing a bit but still giving Sam a glance that told her it wouldn't be smart to try and escape or anything. "A combination of fanatics, a titan cult and some elements of what has come to be known as the Church of the Wall believed her to be a blasphemer and attacked her. When she turned to her superiors with this information she was given no support and put on the run. You see she'd been set up. Whether it was true or not, the interior could not allow such a rumor to persist and pushed the cults to dispose of her, giving them the opportunity and lack of support from the military for them to do with her as they pleased without a public court marshal drawing attention to her claims. And do you know what those crazed cultists did to her?"

"N…No…" Sam said meekly, terrified by the story thus far.

"They threw her outside the wall. In sort of an ironic justice since she conflated titans and humans they exiled her to join the titans and meet her fate. But she was not immediately killed as expected. Through some combination of her personal survival skills, military experience, not drawing attention to herself and some dumb luck, she managed to survive and escape towards a more secluded area. The titans were there as well of course, but she found ways of surviving."

"I don't understand… if your mother was the one thrown outside the walls, why were you out there too?" Sam asked, pressing her back against the wall.

"Well you see… when my mother was thrown outside the wall, unbeknownst to even her, she was one month pregnant at the time." He said with a bit of malice, earning a gasp from the girl. "I don't know who my father was, I never really asked, it seemed too painful for my mother to recall. But for eight months she fended off the titans and survived until I was born, and then we survived together…"

"But how… everyone else is trapped inside these walls because no one can survive out there with those things! If you can survive then why can't they!?" Sam clenched her fists, feeling frustrated with her confusion.

"First our method worked because there were only two of us. While titans are drawn to devour even a single human, it's easier to hide two people than it is to hide say, a squad of people. Especially if you don't have any motivation to move or any goals to go anywhere. Second, I believe I would say that our method is not recommended. Titans derive energy from sunlight so we found our homes in deep caves, we moved rarely, and ate even more rarely, surviving off the moss and insects found within the caves. Hence my stunning complexion." He waved his hand over his gray skin with a hefty amount of sarcasm. "It was just the two of us, sitting alone in darkness, quietly waiting for most of my life. It might've driven us insane alone, but there were times we could move a bit, mostly at night when the titans were less active. That was when she would tell me the stories."

"What stories? What could possibly be worth telling in a situation like that…?" Sam sat wide-eyed at her captor.

"Stories of inside the wall. She taught me things about the ways of the city and how things worked within walls Maria, Rose and Sina. She spoke of them as if it were a fairy tale, some far off paradise. But I saw it for what it truly was." He shifted positions, his hands clenching his forearms as he pulled his legs closer to his chest. "A bunch of cows ungrateful for the luxury they lived in. Weak animals that didn't deserve the protection they received and corrupt governance that kept the cows well fed and culled. Why did these useless and stupid people get to live with any measure of security while we barely lived at all, there was no justice in the world." He grumbled, leaning back.

"…" Sam lowered her eyes, not sure what to say to all that, she really wasn't in a position to make social commentary when she didn't even know who she was anymore.

"This continued for several years, until a few years ago. We were moving between our network of caves in search of more food, apparently we misjudged the time, it's hard to judge night and day from inside a cave, the sun rose early and because we moved slowly and quietly we were still a way from the cave when the titans became fully active again. We were forced to run, to get anywhere as fast as we could. However she made sure that I stayed ahead the whole time and because of that… she was taken." Franz's face remained like stone but his eyes wavered for a moment with a hint of anguish. "For over a decade she'd survived on the outside, even while pregnant with me, her skills and knowledge had kept her alive. And she died that easily because she was more worried about protecting me than her own life."

There was silence for a long moment between the two, neither one knowing what to say. "For a long time I didn't know what to do besides keep surviving. Until one day I just gave up, I wandered out into the open and was prepared for the titans to take me. However before that happened I spotted something. A corpse, normally not a good omen but this one was the corpse of a fallen survey corps soldier that had ventured outside the wall during an expedition, and more importantly, their three dimensional maneuvering gear was intact. My mother had told me stories of earlier models of these devices so I recognized it instantly. I took it as a sign to take my revenge. For years I practiced with the device, scouring weapons from where I could and training against single titans near the cave I could pin down and pick off. Until just recently when I was satisfied with my skills and mounted the wall. I was surprised to discover Wall Maria had fallen, but it was easy enough to simply move inwards towards Wall Rose. And that is why I am here to repay you ungrateful cows for all the pain I had endured until now."

"There's no way you can call that justice!" Sam shouted. "I've listened to your story but now I'm fed up! Killing people indiscriminately won't change anything about the flaws inside these walls, you're just causing more unneeded bloodshed to satiate your own thirst, just like the titans!"

Franz sat quietly for a moment. "Perhaps you're right, maybe I can't do anything to actually change or bring down the world inside these walls, but the anger in my heart won't let me simply watch as humanity continues to fester like this. I'm too far gone to change my actions now. Humanity deserves to be put out of its misery and be shown the error of its ways for taking its way of life for granted!" He slammed his fist against the table. "It cannot be allowed to be left to rot and stagnate like this, I must cut away the dead flesh. A little pain will remind them how to be grateful to be alive!"

"That doesn't forgive killing good people, killing Jorgen!" Sam sobbed, clenching her fists.

"Honey I've killed a lot of people in the past twenty four hours, you can't expect me to remember names." Franz relaxed and leaned back, giving her a quizzical look. "A friend of yours? Does a girl without any memories of the walls even have friends?"

"Don't play dumb!" She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears roll out. "You killed him the first time we met in the alleyway before you killed those soldiers and fought with Doctor Swift!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about… this is the first and only time I've laid eyes on you. I didn't meet up with you before and kill your friend in some alley."

Sam's eyes widened. "You… didn't kill Jorgen…? Then who…?"

The door to the building was kicked open before she could ponder this any further. The white haired doctor stepped in, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the two people inside. "You should be more careful with all that shouting. There aren't too many abandoned buildings in this area we had to check to find you in." A mischievous grin spread across Doctor Swift's face. "Good, I'm glad I found you first."


	3. Too Far Gone

"It wasn't very wise to stay in one place and even more foolish to start yelling about your plans. You led me right to you." The doctor stepped forward towards Franz and Sam. "Or…" His eyes turned towards the girl. "Was biding your time by getting him all riled up and monologing your plan the whole time, Ms. Samantha?"

"What!?" Franz glared at the person behind him. A ghost of a smile appeared on Sam's face but she still seemed distressed about something. "No matter, I'll simply kick you off another building doctor, and this time you'll STAY DOWN." He swung his blade at the doctor, only to be blocked by the other man's twin titan-slaying blades.

"I won't allow you to harm her!" The doctor shouted, looking into the villain's eyes. He watched as Franz's sunken in eyes glanced from him, then to his swords, a thin smile appearing on his face before he pushed off the swords and backed off.

"It was you wasn't it? It was you that killed her little friend Jorgen, hoping to pin it off on me."

Both Sam's and Doctor Swift's eyes widened with shock as Franz spoke out. "What an outrageous claim! You try to blame me for your murders!?"

"Why would I do that? I own up to every person I've killed within these walls as a sign of pride. However this is the first time I've met this girl and she claims to have met me before. You're the prime suspect as far as I'm concerned. You know something about her, something you're trying to keep hush-hush. I could understand how regular soldiers could miss it, but how could a doctor who specializes in the human mind miss the trauma in that girl's eyes? You played along with her story because it benefitted you and killed her friend because he was getting in the way, probably about to shatter her delusions or something." His eyes narrowed. "Am I close Doc?"

"You have no proof of such a thing." The man's hands tightened around his sword until his knuckles turned white.

"For another thing, your blades are stained with blood. It's blood that was hastily wiped off by someone in a hurry, a subtle red smear that most wouldn't notice. But you didn't cut me in our last fight, so I'm not your first opponent today."

The doctor's eyes widened as his glasses slid down his nose a bit. An inarticulate scream of rage was his only reply as he rushed forward, swinging his blades at Franz. The outsider spun his blade and deflected every swing that came at him, dodging one strike just as the doctor cut the table clean in half.

"You'll have to do better than that." Franz scoffed, dodging to one side and swinging down on the doctor. Steel met steel as he swung up with one of his own swords to block it. The pointed human-killing blade of the mass murderer slid off the length only for a quick counter-slash to draw blood to the doctor's wrist and sever the cable attaching his other sword to his maneuvering gear, knocking the blade out of his hands.

Without missing a beat the doctor drew something with his newly freed hand, pointing it up at Franz. "Recognize this?"

In a bright flash colored smoke filled the room and parts of the wood interior began to catch on fire. Franz covered his eyes and mouth as he tried to dodge, his shoulder singed from the shot. "The flare gun I used before! He's firing it inside at such close range and using my own tactic against me!" He coughed, eyes looking around for the doctor.

"I'M HERE!" Grappling hook cables fired on either side of Franz before retracting, trapping the man between the doctor and the wall as his opponent came rushing towards him.

"Damn… using maneuvering gear inside too…!? I can't deflect it at this speed!" Franz thought to himself at the instant the doctor crashed into him, slamming him into the wall within seconds with such force that the wood and plaster broke and they crashed straight through it, skidding to a stop on the other side. Franz felt the cold steel of the doctor's blade sink into his side and pin him to the opposite side wall of the other room they just crashed into. He felt his blood began to run and his body began to weaken.

"This time you're the one that's staying down." Doctor Swift explained, turning towards Sam. "Now then, I hope you didn't take any of that seriously…" He sighed softly, seeing Sam from in the other room, holding the sword he had just dropped and pointing it at him. "Put that thing down, you'll hurt yourself."

"I-Is it true…?" Sam growled, pointing the blade forward at him with shaky hands. "Do you know what's wrong with me? Did you kill Jorgen?"

The doctor sighed, pulling his blade out of Franz's side and flicking the blood off of it. "I suppose there's no point denying it now, yes you are mine."

The girl's eyes widened. "Yours!?"

"I was called away to the field with the Scout Regiment after a particularly crushing defeat left their commanding officers unwilling to even return to the walls, sick and suicidal, he was going to let the small portion of his men that remained die out there after the horrors the titan showed him. I eventually talked him into returning to the city, however while packing up I noticed something. In a pile of corpses being prepared to be disposed of for the return trip, there was some movement. A young girl, covered in injuries, a scout regiment soldier that hadn't quite met their end."

"I… was a soldier? And I was almost killed!? Is that why I have amnesia and can't remember the world of the walls!?" Sam shouted.

"Oh no, that was me. Your memories were just fine up until that point. I checked the records, a young Scout Regiment soldier named Samantha Hawke who was presumed dead. A perfectly average soldier in every way, even if you weren't written off as KIA I doubt anyone would've missed you if you disappeared. In secret I took you home and tended your wounds. Using psychological hypnosis I overwrote your memories again and again, erasing this disgusting titan-filled world from your mind and replacing it with the one before the walls went up. I even changed your last name, though I let you keep your first name, I always did like the name Samantha."

"But why!? Why is that something you would do!?" Sam edged back but kept swinging the shaking blade at him as he stepped forward and explained.

"I already told you, even if the titans disappeared tomorrow, humanity is too far gone to return to the way we were. We've lived in this dog eat dog world for too long now. The fear of the titans is too deeply ingrained in our psyche to ever be happy again. I've seen it time and again with soldiers, most of them commit suicide. Even the ones that don't aren't happy, they just… survive. If the titans are ever exterminated, we will need to be able to forget. You are a prototype for the new, post-titan humanity."

"THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN JUST DECIDE ON YOUR OWN!" Sam cried out. "S-Someone will come for me… they'll find me!"

"No one will come for you. No one has come for you in the past two years."

"T-Two years!?"

"For two years I've kept you in that abandoned building, convincing you it was almost a century ago while overwriting your memories so many times that you didn't even remember my face. Your days of being a soldier are so far gone now as to be in another lifetime." The doctor scoffed. "And all of it was undone when HE came into the picture." He pointed his blade at Franz. "When he began his rampage they began searching the area where I was keeping you and happened to stumble upon my project while I was away. Of course when they found a girl with what they assumed to be mental problems, I was luckily the first person they called." He smirked. "I tried to get you back into my custody as soon as possible but I couldn't rush the procedure without raising suspicions. I would've waited it all out and taken you back, erased your memories again and everything would've been fine. But for a second time pure chance got in my way…"

"Jorgen…" Sam breathed.

"That's right, that dumb bastard took you to the wall, showed you the titans. I watched from afar as he showed you the horrors out there and saw the grave determination in your eyes." He clenched his fist. "You are a failed experiment! Even with everything I've drilled into you, your first instinct upon seeing titans is to fight! You just dive right back into the same destructive behavior that has condemned millions! Why can I not drive that fight out of you!? We must be able to completely forget this bloody conflict and our contempt for the titans if humanity is to move on! That's why I had to kill Jorgen and take you back. Though I suppose this will be even better, now you'll just be another poor victim of Franz the serial killer that went missing while I take you back and erase your memories again!"

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Sam shrieked, panting and holding the sword. "I've had enough of crazy people yelling to me about their plans 'for humanity'! I'm not going back with you, I'll take you down right here if I have to!"

"Oh please… Samantha you are a peaceful girl now don't forget, your desire to fight may still be there but you're no longer a soldier. I however, may be a doctor but I am also a soldier." He raised his blade. "I will take you back one way or another but I'd prefer not to leave any marks on that pretty face of yours."

"HYRAAAAH!" Sam roared, rushing forward and swinging the sword clumsily. The doctor deflected the blade and stepped to the side. Again and again the girl rushed him, only to have her momentum carried through and cause her to stumble while he harmlessly sidestepped and deflected her attacks.

"You're going to hurt yourself." The doctor said casually, sidestepping her again and kicking her feet out from under her. Sam fell to the floor with a crash, clutching the blade tightly as smoke from the flare gun's flames slowly filled the room.

She pulled herself to her knees and scuttled back as fast as she could against the wall as Doctor Swift turned to face her again. "Come now, I really don't want to hurt you, but we do have to hurry this up. All this smoke is going to start attracting attention."

She swung the paring blade again, only to be parried by the doctor who, with a flick of his wrist, knocked the sword out of her hand. She dove forward onto the blade again, clutching it to her chest and rolling to point it up at him, panting heavily, her eyes wide with fear as he pointed his sword at her as well.

'Come on Sam… you can't remember who you are… but you were a soldier once.' She told herself in her head. 'This man may have overwritten the truth with his lies, but that doesn't erase reality! All those years of training… your mind can't remember, but your body has to! Feel the sword, remember how it feels in your hands, remember how it feels to have adrenaline rushing through you, blood pounding in your ears while on the edge of life and death. Remember how to fight! REMEMBER HOW TO LIVE!' Her muscles tightened, both fists clenching on the blade as she changed her stance, a strong strike coming down on the doctor as he was forced to step back to deflect the blow.

"What's this…!?" The Doctor grunted, swinging his blade and clashing with Sam, her once innocent and round blue eyes now narrow focused with killing intent.

"You've taken a lot from me." She hissed. "But you can't take everything." She swung her blade, stepping back and forth in a proper swordfighting pose, now evenly paired with the doctor.

"Fine, I'm running out of time, I'll just have to kill you after all for your persistent defiance!" He thrust forward, grazing her cheek and then slashing down her arm, leaving a long gash down her shoulder. "Just remember in your final screaming moments that you could've lived the rest of your days blissfully ignorant of the horrors of this world!" He slashed downward.

Sam ducked under the sword, moving in close while crouched down under the man. "I do remember one thing about killing titans." She whispered in a cruel tone as her eyes locked with the doctor's. "Always go for the neck!" She thrust upward, the doctor tried to dodge but the blade lodged firmly in the crook of his neck, shaving off the portion between his neck and shoulder. A torrent of high-pressure blood gushed from the wound as the doctor's face turned white and he fell over, choking and gagging on his own blood and clutching his neck until he slowly stopped moving.

The bloodstained Samantha stood there for a long moment, settling after what had just happened. She heard voices from outside and quickly looked into the other room where Franz had been pinned, only to find him gone and a trail of blood leading out the door. "Damn!" She quickly took the doctor's maneuvering gear and the blades, putting them away and running off as best she could with the unfamiliar device before the Garrison soldiers barged in to investigate the scene.

* * *

A few hours later Sam, feeling she had successfully gotten far enough way, sat on a rooftop to contemplate everything that had just occurred. She felt different somehow, she still couldn't remember anything about her time as a soldier but she also knew the memories of living in a pre-titan world to be fakes. The only thing she'd managed to recover was her muscle memory when it came to fighting with a sword. That was definitely useful but it wasn't enough to start a new life. She was left grasping for a purpose.

She couldn't go back to the military, she'd killed a respected officer and the only person who could corroborate her story of self defense was not only a criminal but nowhere to be found. She couldn't clear her name, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. She had killed him and part of her wanted nothing to do with the military anymore after all of this. Everyone she met seemed to be driven to do things 'for humanity' and she wasn't even sure what that meant anymore. What was humanity? Did any individual have any idea the scope of that word? She didn't think so, when most people spoke of humanity they were likely thinking of the people close to them, friends, family, or lovers. When it came to protecting 'humanity' she bet that people would most likely protect those close to them and then protect people close to others.

But now there was no one to be the face of 'humanity' to drive her, she had literally no one. She couldn't remember a thing and there was no sense of duty as she had no memories of why she joined the military to begin with. Maybe she'd once been a defender of the people, maybe she was in it to try and rise up and get close to the safe interior and just was in the wrong place at the wrong time, maybe she just liked to fight. Either way she couldn't go back now, her life as a soldier was over.

"I have to survive…" She whispered and clenched her fists tight. "Even if I can't be sure of anything else, I'm alive right now and I will do anything I have to in order to survive…"

* * *

Franz groaned as he awoke, eyes blurry as he sat up. "Hey there sleepyhead." A gruff fat man chuckled next to his lanky cohort.

"Where am I…" He whispered hoarsely.

"You're at our hideout, we heard about the ruckus down at the abandoned buildings and found you laying in an alley not far away bleeding to death. You look like you're pretty good with a sword, maybe you should be a bodyguard for our gang, you do owe us for saving your life after all!"

Franz stood up silently, looking over the surgical tools they had used to patch him up.

"Hey!" The fat man shouted. "Don't just ignore me! A thank you would b-" He was cut off as Franz jammed a scalpel into his neck, blood splattering the white sheets around them as the man fell over.

"…you have my SINCEREST gratitude." Franz said sarcastically, glaring at the lanky man who quickly backed up to give him room.

A thin smirk played across Franz's gray and bony features. "A gang eh? I've heard about the criminal district within the walls, a dangerous, if disorganized motley crew. A bunch of misfits out for their own payday in such crimes as arms smuggling and human trafficking." He stepped towards the lanky man. "How unsightly… but you can be taught. If we can create a sort of organized crime, bring these disjointed gangs and guilds together for a greater purpose… then we can bring the cows within these walls to their knees." He smirked. "Bring me to your leader, we have MUCH to discuss…"

* * *

A few days later Sam's face was cold and emotionless as she looked into the washbasin while putting her clothes back on. She said she would do anything to survive and she meant ANYTHING, but she was still shocked at herself for what she had just done.

A bald man stepped into the washroom, a towel wrapped around his person was the only thing covering him. "Man lady, you weren't kidding. You REALLY wanted those parts." She chuckled. "You workin' girls are the best."

Sam pulled her shirt up and pointed the knife she kept in her belt at the man. "I said don't talk to me afterwards… Just give me what I came here for."

"Alright, alright." He held up his hands defensively, digging around and finding a receipt. "There you go, that should be all the parts you need to fix your maneuvering gear as well as four new tanks of gas, straight from the MP delivery cart." He handed her the piece of paper. "Say lady… where you staying?"

"This isn't a repeat deal." She spat.

"No, no, nothing like that." He chuckled. "See, you seem to be pretty good with a sword, and judging by this little arrangement you don't have much else going for you. You can't have an apartment or anything if you can't even afford to pay for some parts with something other than your body."

"Get to your point or I'll make sure this is the last fun you'll ever have." She pointed the knife at his crotch.

"Well see, I could use a little muscle for my gang. You've proven you're up for things that are… shall we say a little unsavory? I lost a few of my guys when that new dude Franz recruited them for his super gang or whatever, not my style but I need replacements."

"Franz!?" Sam's eyes widened. "A skeleton-looking man with gray skin and grizzly hair!?"

"Yeah that's him, came in trying to buy me out. I told him no way but he still made off with two of my best guys. Now since there's an opening, if you're willing to… bend the law a little, which obviously you are, you can work for me to get on your feet."

Sam's mind raced as she tried to think this through before a cruel smirk curled onto her lips. "Yeah… I'll work for you. On one condition, if you ever find Franz again, I want a crack at him."

"Heh, you got yourself a deal little lady, I like your style." The bald man gave an equally cruel grin.

Sam redressed herself, adjusting her maneuvering gear and her swords before she headed out, slamming the door and running down the hall. "Franz… I will do what I have to in order to survive… and I'll find you… and one day I will kill you."

* * *

 **AN: That's it for the first part of Attack on Titan: Outsiders! Hope you enjoyed and I do have a sequel planned but I'm not sure when I'll get it out so keep your eyes peeled if you want to see more!**


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